CULINARY JOURNEY TO WONDERFUL INDONESIA AT CURATE

Kambing Guling and Bakwan Malang are two of the interesting dishes

crafted by guest chef Robert Wisnu Untoro (right) for the Indonesian Food and Culture Week at Curate, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

Held from October 7 – 13, the special food and cultural promotion was organised in collaboration with the Embassy of Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur. The sumptuous daily lunch and dinner buffet features specialities from across the Indonesian archipelago.

 

Chef Wisnu, who is also as a DJ, kept diners entertained while cooking up a storm with his inimitable flair.  We were smitten at first bite by the tender, spiced-rubbed Kambing Guling – roasted leg of goat sliced on request from the carvery.

 

Interestingly, Bakwan Malang isn’t unlucky despite its unfortunate name. In East Java, bakwan refers to fried wontons with a mixture of meat or fish and flour filling while Malang is the name of the East Javanese city. Basically, it’s a soupy noodle dish with fried wonton, fish balls, beef ball and fried beancurd. Chopped spring onion, fried shallot and a dollop of  green chilli sambal add subtle pops of flavour to the offering.

Aromatic spices like cloves and pepper are evident in clear, tummy-warming Sop Buntut (Javanese oxtail soup) which has chunky pieces of bones and tender cubes of beef in it.

 

 

A plethora of salads such as Urapan Sayur, Lalapan, Tahu Gejrot (fried tofu and beansprouts in sweet spicy sauce), Ketoprak (tofu, shredded vegetables and pressed rice cakes in peanut sauce), Salada Ayam Bumbu Bali, Pecel and Karedok piques our palate before we descend on the main courses. The lightly blanched salads are mostly tossed or served with peanut sauce.

 

 

 

Spicing the meal up are an array of curries; some flaunting lush, fragrant coconut milk-enriched gravy, others accentuated by drier spice blends. Notable dishes worth sampling include Telur Pop (deep-fried hardboiled eggs in pale coconuty gravy), Bebek Sambal Hijau (duck in dry green chilli curry), Ayam Gule (Sumatran chicken curry) and the classic Rendang Daging (beef braised in thick coconut milk, ground chilli and spices).

 

 

Different combination of spices are employed with finesse to produce delicious specialities such as Terong Belado (eggplant stir-fried with coarsely pounded chilli), Ikan Bakar Padang (grilled fish with spice rub), Gule Kapau (young jackfruit curry with long beans & cabbage) and Sambal Goreng Uti (stir-fried chicken liver & potato dices with sambal).

 

 

Dessert bears close similarity to our local kuih such as the colourful renditions of Kuih Lapis (steamed multi-layer rice cakes) and Kek Lapis (baked Indonesian layered cake enhanced with spices). Simpler street-food delights like Timus Ubi (baked tapioca cake) and Bubur Sumsum (thick gruel of coconut milk with rice flour complemented with palm sugar syrup) are also served.

A showcase of hand-drawn batik, pretty and traditional Indonesian apparel and handicrafts beckon at the mini Indonesian bazaar outside the bright and breezy Curate.

Dinner guests were also entertained by the percussive melodies of gamelan, a musical ensemble combining Javanese and Balinese influences together with the genteel movements of trad dancers.

For reservations, call Curate, tel: 03-23828888. Address: Level 5B, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Ampang, KL.

NEW CHEF REJUVENATES FIVE SEN5ES

The Signature Steamed Coiling Dragon Grouper with Golden Garlic Sauce is a notable headliner to reel us in. The symphony of garlic and fish jus is on song, the fish doneness satisfyingly on-point. Chunks of ridged gourd soaks up the savoury-sweet sauce.

“While heritage preserves the old dishes, innovation doesn’t mean forgoing tradition,”says Ron Lean Wen Seng, the new Chef De Cuisine of Five Sen5es.

The boyish Perakian chap from Langkap belongs to the new breed of chefs whose 15 years of experience means he’s not only adept in cooking but also self-assured enough to interact with diners and media. Despite having taken over the mantle a fortnight ago, Lean confidently deals with the barrage of questions posed to him. Perhaps past stints in Australia and international hotels in KL helped to dial up his game.

Back to his culinary largesse, Lean’s showboating commences with an impressive dual-prep lobster platter comprising Deep Fried Lobster Balls and Lobster Steamed with Egg. A speciality best pre-ordered in advance, the lobster balls hit the spot yet a zingy dip of sorts won’t be remiss.

Despite bearing a layer of golden yellow sauce (a blend of pumpkin, carrot and celery juice) and a bite-size cube of lobster meat on top, the steamed egg tastes underwhelming. IMHO, the flavour quotient is far too delicate to excite tastebuds attuned to strong, robust flavours.

Wading into the limelight is a notable Double Stewed Rambutan, Chicken, Crabmeat and Scallop. Lean assures us the palate-pleasing soup harks back to homey, comforting concoctions of yesteryear — he has merely used his own selection of ingredients including wolfberries and topshell to rachet up the soulful nuances.

Do you know the classic dish of sweet and sour pork – in this case it’s chicken – is originally from Fuzhou? It’s such a beloved Chinese speciality that any Chinese restaurant worth its salt is often judged by how well it can handle sweet and sour pork/chicken. In Lean’s case, he opts to return to the trad recipe in which hawthorn juice is one of the key components to making the sauce for his Fuzhou Litchi Sweet and Sour Chicken.

Instead of run-of-the-mill tomato and chilli sauces, the tangy-sweet sauce coating the crisp battered nuggets of fried chicken is muted by comparison. It may take some getting used to but perhaps such sedate sauciness is a nod to today’s healthful low-sodium, low-sugar dietary approach.

The Pomelo Crispy Prawns with Homemade Sauce treads a similarly muted flavour pathway. Texture-wise the prawns are on-point, with juicy burst of fresh astringency coming from pomelo sacs. However, a little more zestiness to the creamy mayo, egg white and mango sauce would do the offering greater justice.

Lightly doused in a mixture of pumpkin and chicken stock, the Braised Shimeiji Mushroom with Homemade Spinach Bean Curd hit the spot for us. A surefire crowd-pleaser that ticks all the right boxes.

Although the intention of using a claypot to retain heat is commendable, I personally prefer the Stir Fried Romaine Lettuce with Salted Fish to be stir-fried, lightning-quick. Serving the greens in the claypot wilts and leaves the greens unappetisingly limp.

The last hurrah of Chilled Peach Gum Soup with Red Dates and Longan in Coconut comes in a whole coconut. Can’t fault the pleasantly cool and mildly sweet finale to wrap up the debut of a new ‘sifu’ at Five Sen5es.

For reservations, call Five Sen5es, tel: 03-2773 8338. Address: Level 1, The Westin Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.